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With India having become a global economic superpower, our financial hub Mumbai needed an airport to match its stature. A report by Millennium Post

GVK’s new integrated, state-of-the-art Terminal 2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has propelled India to new heights of perfection in the civil aviation sector. The new integrated Terminal 2, as an iconic mega-structure measuring 4.4 million sq ft, will set global benchmarks in airport infrastructure development.

Featuring a highly compact design by New York based SOM, T2 will have the ability to handle 40 million passengers annually. Traversing across four levels, the vertical and compact design of T2 which will integrate all operations — International, Domestic, Cargo, Ground Handling, Security, Retail etc — under one roof, will enable enhanced passenger servicing and operational efficiency of CSIA.

‘The opening of Terminal 2 is one of the most important milestones in the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport as well as Mumbai,’ Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) Executive Chairman Dr GVK Reddy said. ‘It is my dream to create icons which will last for generations.’

‘Over the years, we have developed expertise in executing challenging and complex infrastructure projects. GVK’s vision is to be the pioneer and best in all the sectors we operate in,’ he added.‘GVK’s initiatives include setting up India’s first independent power plant, the first six-lane expressway and developing the first Brownfield airport under the public private partnership (PPP) model. We have raised our own benchmarks with every successive endeavor. Terminal 2 reiterates our commitment towards building a better India for the present as well as for future generations and this would not have been possible without the unstinted support of our partners, associates and all my colleagues, said a beaming Dr Reddy.

The Rs 5,500 crore cost incurred by GVK in building T2 is the lowest among such airport projects in India as well as across the world. GVK constructed the new T2 in the same location as the present international terminal without shutting down India’s busiest and land-locked city airport which is the most constrained airport in the world.

The new airport terminal will also be home to India’s largest public art programme, in the form of a 3-km multi-storey ‘Art Wall’, illuminated by skylights, which has over 7,000 pieces of artwork & artefacts from Maharashtra and also every region and corner of India. Titled ‘Jaya He’ (Glory to India), it captures the expanse, depth and beauty of Indian art, craft and cultural heritage while initiating the visitor into experiences that lie beyond and convey a distinctive narrative of India’s incredible diversity, living in multiple centuries simultaneously.

Reaffirming Mumbai’s status as a global economic city, Terminal 2 is the outcome of GVK’s vision to make CSIA one of the world’s best airports that consistently delights consumers, and becomes the pride of Mumbai and India. The new T2 built in four years, is an iconic global mega structure and India’s first and most advanced vertical passenger terminal that integrates world class design, architecture, infrastructure and operational efficiency, with a rich infusion of Indian heritage and cultural character.

All international, and later domestic, passengers will enter the new Terminal Head House on the fourth level, which is accessed by a sweeping elevated road from the Western Express Highway in only three minutes. At the entrance, the lanes split, making room for wide drop-off curbs with ample space for departure rituals with passengers and their guests protected from Mumbai’s heat and unpredictable monsoons, by the Head House roof that extends to cover the entire departure roadway.

A 15 meter-tall cable-stayed glass wall — the longest in the world — opens to the soaring space of the check-in hall, with the transparent façade allowing accompanying well-wishers, to watch as their friends and family depart.

Once inside, travelers enter the warm, open, light-filled and monumentally large check-in hall, featuring 208 check-in counters, sheltered underneath the 11-acre long-span roof supported by an array of only 30 mushrooming multi-story mega-columns. Small disks of colourful glass recessed within the canopy’s coffers speckle the hall below with light, whose constellation of colors makes reference to the peacock, India’s national bird, and the inspiration for the airport.

After check-in, 60 emigration counters, 124 security check positions, 41 travellators, 47 escalators & 73 elevators will efficiently and swiftly process passengers for boarding. The common check-in hall leads to a retail hub for international travelers, while domestic passengers proceed down to Level 3. along the spectacular palm and waterfall gardens to their own dedicated domestic retail hub. These commercial plazas, spread over a combined area of 200,000 sq. ft., are centrally located at the junction of the concourses and the terminal core, to provide close proximity to the 52 convenient departure gates for maximum passenger convenience.

Level 2 is dedicated for all arrivals with 10 fully–automatic baggage-handling carousels and 72 arrival immigration counters, while Level 1 is designed for ground transportation. Interconnecting light slots and multi-storey light wells ensure that light penetrates even into the lower floors of the four-storied mega structure, acting as a constant reminder of the surrounding city and its landscape.

For the first time in India, the terminal also features an Airport Joint Control Centre that will house all stakeholders from security to airline officials & airport operations including to facilitate collaborative and speedy decision making. According to GVK Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) Managing Director G V Sanjay Reddy, ‘The new Terminal 2 at CSIA is a monument to the beautiful spirit of Mumbai and its people. This terminal will make CSIA a gateway to the city of Mumbai and India with international & domestic passengers.’

‘This is an airport that will redefine global benchmarks in aviation & airport development. The prevalence of local art and culture, coupled with the use of warm colors and elegant accents, elevates the ambience of this terminal beyond the typical, often unimaginative airport experience, to create a sense of place and identity that truly celebrates India,’ he added.

The design of Terminal 2 draws inspiration from India’s national bird. It portrays the magnificent character of the white peacock, representing flight as well as rare beauty.

The architecture of the new airport terminal quintessentially reflects India’s proud heritage and draws on its rich culture — it unmistakably and proudly presents a new contemporary India and its possibilities. Throughout T2, there are fixtures and details such as 1,000 chandeliers inspired by the lotus flower, a Diya curtain with 10,000 diyas waiting to welcome international travelers and the check in hall which is inspired by 1,000 white peacocks in the sky.

Reflecting GVK’s environment stewardship, Terminal 2 was built to be highly energy and water efficient. Sewage recycling, water recycling & rain water harvesting technologies will contribute to a 20 per cent reduction in water use, over and above the Leeds baseline.

Using a high-performance glazing system with a custom frit pattern, T2 achieves optimal thermal performance and mitigates glare. Perforated metal panels on the terminal’s curtain wall filter the low western and eastern sun angles, creating a comfortable day-lit space for waiting passengers, and responsive daylight controls balance outdoor and indoor light levels for optimal energy savings. Combined with strategically-placed skylights throughout the check-in hall, these will reduce T2’s energy consumption by 23 per cent. The terminal also has a Level 2 accreditation on carbon management by ACI.

The terminal will feature a multi-level car park with the ability to handle 5,200 cars making it one of the largest in the country. The car park is covered with lush landscaped gardens, providing a scenic first view for arriving and departing passengers.

The new integrated Terminal 2 will commence International operations from February 12, 2014, (within three-four weeks). The terminal will undergo a comprehensive security sweep as well as Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT). During the days preceding commissioning of the Terminal, GVK will be undertaking familiarisation processes for airlines, ground handling staff, security, customs, immigration, MIAL employees etc to get them acquainted with the new technologically advanced systems and facilities, processes for smooth and seamless transition of all stake holders from old international terminal to T2. During this time, GVK will launch an elaborate communication campaign to inform passengers about the T2’s commissioning.

AAI, GVK pilot PPP model to new heights of success

Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) is a joint venture between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and a GVK-led consortium. MIAL was awarded the mandate of modernising, upgrading and expanding Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in May 2006.

CSIA catered to 30.75 million passengers and over 0.6 million tonnes of cargo in FY 2012. MIAL’s vision is to transform CSIA into one of the world’s best airports that consistently delights customers and to be the pride of Mumbai.

GVK is a leading Indian conglomerate with presence across Energy, Resources, Airports, Transportation, Hospitality and Life sciences sectors. It set up India’s first independent power plant and has around 6000 mw projects under generation and development.

It is the first company in India to develop six-lane expressway under PPP model and has around 3000 lane km expressway projects under operations and development. As one of India’s largest private sector airport operators, GVK handles 44 mppa through India’s first brownfield airport under the PPP model - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, and Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, and is developing two airports in Indonesia.

Having already invested over $4.3 billion, GVK has projects worth over another $6.6 billion in the pipeline, in India. It has acquired Australian Coal Mines in Queensland with 8 bt reserves for $1.26 billion and envisages an investment of $10 billion to for setting up mines, a 500-km rail project and 60-mtpa port project which will form one of the world’s largest integrated coal mining operations.